Iris and some Irids 2006-2007

[Thomas Huber]

Franz, Iris Katherine Hodgkin has also very strong colours in my garden:

[hadacekf]

It would be of interest to know whether in all gardens Iris Katharine Hodgkin has so strong colour this year.
By the way I think it is not always good the colour to use as a factor for the ID
Please compare the pictures of this and past year

[Lesley Cox]

I'm sure it's right that colour can vary from garden to garde, year to year or climate to climate, so as you say Franz, not always a good indicator for identification though of course in the case of `Katharine Hodgkin,' there's nothing else really like her at all.

[Paddy Tobin]

In relation to colour might I comment that here on the forum we are judging the colours from photographs and that the light at the time of taking the photograph has an effect on colour and that the same flower can appear differently in different lights and in different photographs.

Paddy

[Lesley Cox]

Very true Paddy, and using different film - if still using film - or different brands of digital camera.

[Susan Band]

Hi Franz,
Are all your Katherine Hodgkin the same this year or is it only one? I have to admit when I find one with that dark blue colouring I usually dig it up and bin it just in case I have seen some of this colouration on the show benches so I don't know if there is a problem or not. Has anybody kept track of this variant for more than a year?
Susan

[udo]

Hello Iris-Friends
some Reticulatas from my garden
Iris histrioides var.sophenensis from Turkey
Iris danfordiae native form, Turkey
Iris reticulata from Iran
Iris x sophenensis ( histrioides var.soph. x danfordiae ) F1 Hybrid
Iris x sophenensis  F2 Hybrid

[Maggi Young]

Dirk, super flowers!
Susan: we,like you, are very suspicious of these Katharine Hodgkin flowers with the darker markings.
We have not had any here, I am pleased to say. Altough at first glance, these stronger coloured flowers appear very attractive, we are worried in case the darker marks are evidence of a virus infection. The fact that the darker colouration appears in patches, rather than as an overall colour, is what bothers me. It will be interesting of someone can tell us more about this feature, as you say. Perhaps we are too cautious? It is certain that a plant infected with a virus can survive for several years, sometimes even settling in to a seemingly stable state and not dying out but We still worry!
It gives us something to do, I suppose!
To Franz' case,:I would be glad to hear how you feel about the feature, if you think there may be a virus at all? All your plants give every sign of being so strong and healthy, yet a virus can appear from "nowhere" can it not? Franz has so many years' experience, if he is not concerned, then I would have to concede that we are being somewhat alarmist!

[fermi de Sousa]

Dirk,
Great retics! I particularly like that Iranian one.
Have you done the s x d crossing yourself? Have you many of the F2 crosses flowering yet? I understand from Alan Mc Murtrie's web-site (http://reticulatas.com) that it's in the F2 generation that the real colour breaks occur.
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Fermi, that's a good Iris site I didn't know about, thanks for that. Scrummy things, are they not?

[udo]

Hello Fermides,
i have the F1 Generation from Alan, the F2 is self collectet seed
from this plants. 3 flowers in 3 several colours. We have to time
frost, the last flower is not complete open.
Iris x sophenensis F2 white form
Iris histrio dark form
Iris histrio var.aintabensis dark Form
Iris reticulata from Almeh, NE-Iran

[hadacekf]

Hi Susan,
I have perhaps 50 flowering bulbs of Iris Katharine Hodgkin each year. The normal bloom time is March and not January. 8 bulbs of Katharine Hodgkin have this strong colour this year, and they grow at different places in the garden. The others do not flower yet, because we at present have frosty weather.

I am curious for the colour of the other bulbs. I cultivate this iris already 30 years. I did not have ever so a strong colour with my blooms.

[jomowi]

Udo

I love the various Iris, they look super, will they grow outside?. 

Does  anyone know if any of these forms are available either as seed or bulbs, I would very much like to get some.  Particularly the danfordii, the usual garden centre ones never flower next year, they just break up into little ones and are probably virus infected as well.

Brian  WIlson
Aberdeen

[Lesley Cox]

According to Tony Hall at Kew (retired now) Iris danfordiae as available in commerce, is a triploid and so is sterile. To get seed one must have wild collected material (or ex wild collected) and the flowers on these bulbs are much smaller. In the slide Tony showed here, (which he gave me, but I have no ability to scan a slide) the flowers and whole flowering bulb were little more that 3cms high, the flower being most of this. Absolutely delightful but far from generally available.

Tony's opinion of Dutch stock of reticulate irises matches yours Brian - almost all virused. You could perhaps try to contact Alan McMurtrie through his website because he does distribute seed. He also hybridizes juno irises but again, Tony says that the bulbs Alan has sent to him (Tony) are frequently virused. But that is junos, so maybe worth trying the reticulatas.

[Lesley Cox]

And yes, they will grow outside, even where you are